Saturday, May 8, 2010

The Passion Of Old Navy

When I think of Old Navy two words come to mind - tech vest. All of their lowest common denominator nonsense aside, I'm not going to pretend like I don't periodically check their website or stop into a store just to see what the hell is going on. Old Navy has always been the dumbass younger brother of the Gap family, but every now and then that same dumbass little brother can be quite endearing and impress you. That's exactly what happened when I stumbled upon some decent suit separates - I'm like, kinda, impressed. It's obviously not mind blowingly awesome and the best I can say about the stuff is that it's solid, but beggars can't be choosers right? The jackets currently up for grabs include a micro stripe cotton, linen and cotton twill all for just under $50. Who would have thought that the details wouldn't be completely horrendous? Not I, that's for sure. All of them are two button fronts with slim lapels and center vents aka a legit modern sportcoat. I realize that fit lies at the heart of this "endorsement" (I guess we could call it that) and I am doubtful that any of you Band of Outsiders chumps would be happy with a small, but for those of us who enjoy 13 beers on a Thursday night it might be advantageous to give the third brand of the Gap armed forces a looksee. I mean, look at these shots below. If I hadn't told you these jackets were from Old Navy wouldn't you assume they were from a store you at least hold in decent regard? And with some of the stuff hitting the airwaves today, decent is pretty refreshing.

11 comments:

I often stop by Old Navy hoping to give it a shot, but never walk out with anything more than very basic essentials like underwear. Their clothes just seem to fit me terribly, and the quality is not up to par for the price when you compare it to something like Uniqlo, which consistently drops great-looking and fitting pieces at similarly low price points.

Yang- I had a little bit about Uniqlo written originally, but I took it down. I figure that as long as Uniqlo lacks an online store you cannot really make that arguement since only a small population can access their gear.

I actually tried one of these on while at an Old Navy with my girlfriend. The small fit ok (a little big in the body and the arms were a tad short) and I am usually a medium at basiclly everywhere. You're right about the price though. The quality is the best but it's a great deal for the price. The khaki seersucker, or corded or whatever they're calling it looks pretty ok in person.

Socks. Old Navy sells wonderfully cheap colorful socks. I like the way they style the third jacket. I could see myself walking around waiting to get my ass kicked with my collar popped like that. But in all seriousness, it's dirt cheap. Who's to complain?

I have a gray corduroy jacket from Old Navy that I picked up early this year. It was originally this same price but was on sale for $25, so I figured I'd be a fool if I didn't buy it. The fit is nice and trim and there are some nice details like inside pocket edging in a coordinating checked fabric.

I'm looking for a linen sports coat to wear this summer, and I grabbed one at Macy's on sale for $36. But then I saw this post, and I'm wondering if I should give Old Navy a try. For the price, which one do you think would be the better bet, or which one would you buy? Here's the link to the one I bought (only I got it in khaki): http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=454615&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results